It is well known that a substantial proportion of dental disorders and particularly tooth loss are directly attributable to periodontal deterioration and disease. Periodontal problems can be reduced by physical massage of the periodontal tissue or gums surrounding teeth. The bristles of a conventional toothbrush provide the cleansing action of the brush by abrasion and picking and although they do come into contact with the user's gums the massage action they provide is minimal.
Brushes intended for gum massage are known. These brushes include rubber or like formations which are arranged amongst the conventional brush bristles for massaging the user's gums while the conventional bristles provide the normal abrasive cleaning and picking action. In one form of known brush the formations extend along the length of the bristle zone on either side of the brush head and in a second form are columns or cones made of rubber which are spaced among the bristles. A problem with brushes of the first type is that the formations prevent or at least seriously inhibit the conventional and necessary action of the brush bristles in cleaning the interstices between the teeth when the brush head is moved transversely over the length of the user's teeth. Additionally, these brushes are unacceptable from a hygienic point of view in that the spaces between the formations and the adjacent bristles on the brush head provide excellent traps, which are difficult to clean, for used toothpaste and particles dislodged from the user's teeth. A disadvantage to brushes of the second type is that the formations are of necessity made from soft resilient material to avoid point contact damage to the user's gums and because of the flexibility over their lengths and their small gum contact areas provide insufficient traction on the gums, particularly in the longitudinal direction of the brush head, to be effective in providing the required massage action without damage to the user's gums.